Thursday, May 21, 2009

Fight for the casue = Proud Dad

I am proud of my kids for taking time to put others first.  (Sidestep from my usual NPTech blog writing, well sort of.)

Not too long ago my daughter, Natalie age 7 now, got sad news that her BFF was diabetic which required some hospital stays, missing school and changing her life forever. Natalie's BFF now has to carry an insulin pump and has struggled at times to get back to the life she once had.  Natalie took time to visit her in the hospital and made every effort to help her feel good.  Now Natalie is taking time to do a Diabetes walk with her BFF and is raising money.  It makes me proud to see her fighting for her friends and a cause at such a young age.  Click here to support her and learn more. 

Dominic, my son age 9, is part of the Joliet Jets YMCA swim team.  He is quick to help his team and teammates.  They are running a raffle and Dominic sold his required number of tickets within the first day.  But he wanted to go back and get more because he enjoyed supporting his team and selling the tickets.  Dominic is also always quick to stay at church and pitch in anyway he can.

My next older son, Brendan age 16, is going on a Teen Missions trip in June to Galveston, Texas to help rebuild and cleanup from the hurricanes. This is through our church, www.communitychristian.org.  He is the first to see a friend in need and offer a helping hand, maybe too much sometimes.  But a big heart is part of who he is.  A funny story though, Brendan enjoys helping serve food at shelters sometimes cause he really likes the food.

My oldest son, Tyler age 17, is going on a Teen Missions trip in June to New Orleans, LA to help rebuild and cleanup from the hurricanes. Plus I am going on this trip with him along with his Uncle Tom! How cool is that?!?!? This is through our church, www.communitychristian.org. Tyler is one of those kids that everyone wants to know, easy going, funny and friendly. He is there for you.

Well anyway, not sure how we are going to pay for these mission trips for the older kids, but it always works itself out when God is in charge.  Just sharing a touch of the pride I have in my kids giving of themselves to others. I dont know if any of them will follow in my shoes and work for a nonprofit but we shall see.


1 comment:

Judith Sol-Dyess said...

That's such a nice post, Steve. I am always impressed by how much time and energy you put into each of your kids' lives (not to mention Becca) to make sure they grow up as ethical, caring and hard-working as you are.

I wish I had seen more of that myself when I was growing up, and that volunteering was as much part of my education and upbringing as school.

I am sure no matter what they end up doing, having you and Becca for role models will no doubt make them strong individuals that will strive to better their society.